‘These are good, caring clinicians’: Why this GP is training pharmacists for the Qld pharmacy pilot
A GP who trained the pharmacists says rural patients in Queensland cannot access care on time.
A GP who trained pharmacists to independently diagnose and treat 17 conditions for Queensland’s pharmacy prescribing pilot says they are not trying to duplicate GP services.
The pilot finally kicked off on Wednesday, with an initial 10 pharmacists at six pharmacies, despite the protests of medical colleges.
To start prescribing, the pharmacists complete a one-year part-time training course at James Cook University (JCU), plus concurrent training at Queensland University of Technology that includes 120 hours of practice under the supervision of GPs or other prescribers.
Around 300 pharmacists have signed up for the training.
